Understanding air core formation in hydrocyclones by studying pressure distribution as a function of viscosity

Doby, Michael J.; Nowakowski, Andrzej; Yiu, Ida; Dyakowski, T.

doi:10.1016/j.minpro.2007.09.002

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This is due to the presence of air core, zones of flow reversion, regions of recirculation, high vortex preservation and high turbulence intensity, among others [6][7][8]. Hydrocyclone application, therefore, is limited for the particles and/or droplets bigger than 10 m [5,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Isothermal Separation Process of Two-Phase Mixture Water/Ultra-Viscous Heavy Oil by Hydrocyclone

Souza¹,

Farias²,

Swarnakar³

et al. 2011

ACES

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Environmental agencies do not allow effluents, from the petroleum productions, which contain oil concentrations that exceed the amounts permitted by the regulations. In recent time heavy oil operating petroleum industries are generating oil/water mixture by products, which are difficult to separate. Industrially, hydrocyclone is generally used to separate oil from an oil/water mixture. This is due to its high performance of separation, low cost of installation and maintenance. In the present work, therefore, the thermal fluid dynamics of water/ultra-viscous heavy oil separation process in a hydrocyclone has been studied. A steady state mathematical model which simulates the performance of a non-isothermal separation process is presented. The Eulerian-Eulerian approach for the interface of the phases involved (water/ultra-viscous heavy-oil) is used and the two-phase flow is considered as incompressible, viscous and turbulent. For carrying out numerical solutions of the governing equations the CFX11 ® commercial code was used. Results of the behavior of the two-fluid flow inside the hydrocyclone and separation efficiency are presented and analyzed. The role of the average temperature of the fluid, oil droplet diameter and the fluid mixture inlet velocity on the separation efficiency of the hydrocyclone are verified.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Isothermal Separation Process of Two-Phase Mixture Water/Ultra-Viscous Heavy Oil by Hydrocyclone

Souza¹,

Farias²,

Swarnakar³

et al. 2011

ACES

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“…Delgadillo and Rajamani (2005) investigated the dynamics of the air core using a LES turbulence model. Doby et al (2008) numerically examined different flows at varying viscosities and revealed that low viscosity feeds tend to develop a larger low-pressure area in the center region of the hydrocyclone than feeds at high viscosity (Fig.3). As shown in Fig.3, air from the atmosphere pushes the fluid due to the low pressure formation in the center area and upper section in the vicinity of the vortex finder.…”

Section: Air-core Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was found however that the RSM model predicts an air-core, which is irregular and does not agree with experiment. Alternatively, if VOF or other multi-continuum approaches are not used in numerical simulations, where the air core is considered, the Fig.3 The effect of viscosity on the formation of the air core (Doby et al, 2008).…”

Section: Air-core Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Numerical Modelling of the Flow in Hydrocyclones

Nowakowski

Doby

2008

KONA

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“…The slurry is tangentially injected into the cylindrical zone, which generates a spiral flow enabling multiphase separation due to the centrifugal force [5][6][7] . The centrifugal force also causes the formation of air core, which is one of the most complex flow structures inside a hydrocyclone [8] . The content of the air core comes from the atmosphere outside the hydrocyclone, or from the multiphase flow flowing through the hydrocyclones [9][10] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental study on the air core in a hydrocyclone

2016

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The evolution of air core is an important phenomenon in hydrocyclones, which is sensitive to the operating conditions. The morphology of the air core in a hydrocyclone is studied experimentally, using a high-speed video camera and a noise analyzer. Three stages are observed during the increase of flow rate from 300 to 2400 liters per hour, which could be separated by both the noise measurement and the stability of the air core. The flow rate is found to have a nonmonotonic effect on the diameter of the air core, leading to a peak diameter. The influence of the overflow and underflow on the underflow-to-throughput ratio and air flow patterns are also investigated. It is found that the underflow-to-throughput ratio and air flow patterns are sensitive to the valve openings of both outlets.

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Understanding air core formation in hydrocyclones by studying pressure distribution as a function of viscosity

Cited by 21 publications

References 14 publications

Non-Isothermal Separation Process of Two-Phase Mixture Water/Ultra-Viscous Heavy Oil by Hydrocyclone

Non-Isothermal Separation Process of Two-Phase Mixture Water/Ultra-Viscous Heavy Oil by Hydrocyclone

The Numerical Modelling of the Flow in Hydrocyclones

Experimental study on the air core in a hydrocyclone

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